Gabriela Philo '15 and Mythili Sayanna '15

Zoe Meighan '15 registers a student

Alex Carter '15 chats with a Bard parent

Election@Bard is a non-partisan initiative for voter registration and voter engagement.

As a college student, you face a choice when you arrive on campus: vote where you attend school and live for the majority of the year, or vote absentee in your hometown, where you may be more familiar with the political scene. College marks the first time many young people are eligible to vote, and choices made at that time affect their long-term voting habits. The younger a person is when they develop the habit of voting, the more likely they are to vote regularly.

Where to Register?

Students may not realize that they have the right to vote in-person while studying at Bard. Not sure where to register? Evaluate upcoming elections in your hometown or state. Is there an upcoming contentious vote that you want to weigh in on? Consider absentee voting regulations. Are there barriers to absentee voting in your state?

Voter Registration

Our services are made available to all first-year and upper college students during the check-in process. In 2014, during first-year check-in, 270 students registered to vote with us. This figure represents nearly 60% of eligible voters in the Class of 2018.